Sources checked 1 November 2026: the vendor pages linked below, Zenoti's 2025 benchmark report, the FTC's 2024 review-rule announcement and Google's review policy.
At a busy front desk, the useful software question is simple: what happens when this client pays?
A comparison list can help you find names to look into. For a salon, spa, clinic or barbershop, the next step is testing joining, earning and redemption against the way your team already works. That's what this guide is built around. We make LoyalsClub, so we're not neutral, and we'll say plainly where another kind of tool fits you better.
Why loyalty software matters more for a service business
A service business lives on repeat visits. Zenoti's 2025 benchmark report found that guests who visited more than once a year made up 42% of guests and 80% of sales, in 2024 data from US and Canadian businesses on its platform.
That doesn't mean software creates repeat visits. It means the tool you pick should make it easy to reward them and to see who has stopped coming.
Four approaches to loyalty program software
These groups overlap. Booksy has digital stamp cards inside its booking system, Stamp Me is a separate app built around stamps, and Square offers an Apple Wallet loyalty pass. Use the groups to narrow your search, then check the individual product.
1. Built into your booking or POS system
Many salon and spa systems include a loyalty feature, or sell one as an add-on:
- Vagaro lists customer loyalty programs as included with every plan.
- Booksy says its digital loyalty cards are included with the standard subscription and stamped automatically on qualifying visits.
- Fresha sells client loyalty as a monthly add-on priced by number of locations.
- Square offers loyalty through its paid plans, with a 30-day free trial.
Good at: keeping rewards in the checkout you already use. Eligible purchases may earn automatically once the client is identified and enrolled; check the joining and redemption steps too. Watch for: add-on pricing, which plan includes it, and whether it shows you clearly who has stopped coming back.
2. Digital stamp cards
These replace the paper punch card. Loopy Loyalty puts stamp cards in Apple or Google Wallet with no app required, and staff stamp them with a separate app. Stamp Me keeps the card in its own app, with an optional wallet code.
Good at: simple "buy 9, get the 10th" programs, fast to launch, easy for clients to understand. Watch for: one stamp per visit gives a trim and a full color the same credit. Some tools let you award more stamps for a larger purchase. Check the earning rules, the staff steps and the last-visit reporting before choosing.
3. Tools built mainly for online stores
Some of the best-known names belong here. Smile.io describes itself as the loyalty platform for Shopify Plus and enterprise brands, and it does support in-store sales through Shopify POS.
Good at: points on online orders, referral links, email flows, integration with an online store. Watch for: compatibility with your checkout. Smile supports Shopify POS for in-store earning and redemption; that doesn't make it an integration with your salon booking system.
4. Standalone loyalty apps
A customer-facing loyalty app separate from your booking system. LoyalsClub uses an app download and a staff scan; other products may connect to a POS or use a different checkout process.
Good at: adding something your current system lacks. Compare reward choices, messaging and last-visit reporting product by product; none of these is exclusive to standalone apps. Watch for: any required app download and any separate step at payment. Test both with your staff and clients.
| Approach | Client joining | Staff work at payment | Worth checking when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking/POS loyalty | Existing client profile or a separate loyalty sign-up, depending on the system | Identify the client; eligible purchases may earn automatically; check redemption | You already use the system |
| Digital stamp card | Wallet card or an app account | Award the eligible stamps; the method varies | You want a stamp-based program with clear rules |
| Ecommerce-focused platform | Online sign-up or identification at a supported POS | Depends on the integration | You use the platform's supported commerce system |
| Standalone customer app | App account; check whether a download is needed | A separate scan or another supported process | Your current tools lack something worth the extra work |
Seven questions to ask before you sign up
- How does a visit get recorded? Automatically at checkout, a scan, a stamp, a phone number typed in? Time it.
- What does the client have to do to join? Nothing, add a wallet card, or download an app?
- Can a bigger visit earn more? Ask whether the tool supports points per dollar, multiple stamps for a larger purchase, or only one stamp per visit, and how staff apply the rule.
- Can you see who has stopped coming? Ask to see the report, not hear about it.
- What does it really cost? Plan, add-ons, per-location fees, and the rewards themselves.
- Who owns the client relationship? Can you message your own clients, and what do clients see of other businesses?
- Does it offer points for reviews? If so, leave it off. Google's policy prohibits incentives for any review, and the FTC's 2024 rule prohibits incentives conditioned on a positive or negative review.
Bring two typical receipts to the demo, one small and one large. Ask the vendor to show joining, earning, redemption and a refund, including a client who forgot their phone. Check how the tool handles tips, tax, gift cards and staff permissions, and write down which steps it automates and which your team must handle.
If your current system passes all seven questions, there may be no reason to add another tool.
Where LoyalsClub fits
LoyalsClub is a standalone customer app with a shared-app model. Big brands like Starbucks run their own rewards app; with LoyalsClub, you run a points program without building and maintaining a custom app. Clients use one app across participating businesses, while each business keeps its own points balance and rewards.
What you get:
- Points that only work at your business. A client's balance with you can't be spent anywhere else in the app.
- Your rules. You set the earning rate per amount spent and create each reward with its own points cost. You can add bonus points on the first transaction.
- Optional referrals, where both clients earn points after the friend's first purchase.
- Private feedback after a transaction, so you hear about a bad visit while you can still put it right.
- A client list showing last visit as days ago, so you can sort the regulars who've gone quiet to the top.
- Push messages you write and send yourself. Nothing goes to your client list on a schedule.
The friction, honestly:
- Clients download the consumer app and show its QR code at checkout. The Loyals Club app is free on the US App Store for iPhone.
- It's a shared app. Clients can browse other participating businesses and a shared offers feed. Your page is yours, the app isn't.
- Staff record each visit with a separate scan on their own phone. It doesn't sync with your booking or POS system.
When another kind fits better: if you're on Vagaro or Booksy and the built-in loyalty does the job, use it. If you want a simple stamp card in Apple Wallet with no app, a wallet-based stamp card is the better fit.
Setup is typically configured within 24 to 48 hours after receiving your details, and we train your front desk remotely. Pricing is covered on the demo call: monthly, no long-term commitment. Our live customer today is Healia Medical Center, an aesthetic clinic in Dubai.
Want the setup side? Read our guides to a loyalty program for small business and a salon loyalty program. For med spas, see our roundup of loyalty software for US med spas. Or book a demo and bring the seven questions.
Disclosure: LoyalsClub is our product, so this comparison isn't neutral. Vendor details come from each vendor's own pages, checked 1 November 2026. Features and prices change, so confirm with the vendor before you buy.
